Contemporary or Traditional Astrologers, Your Choice

Often I meet other Astrologers, and they do come in many shapes sizes and colors. Often the exchange is warm, pleasant and interesting. It does not take long before the other party shares his/her particular Astrological approach. Many individuals are a joy to meet, but I generally find those individual that spout Astrology like hieroglyphics are most disturbing. Instantly they present themselves as traditional but also vain and inconsiderate, maybe arrogant with a feeling of superiority is more to the point. The result being a disconnect with the current public and a potential client base.

I suspect that many of the individuals that come across as harsh and vain really mean well, and more than likely have not participated in any type of formal training and do lack some self confidence. Most likely there behavior is an attempt to boost their confidence and demonstrate their skill.

One of the difficult lessons to learn about Astrology is that rules generally do not apply. We must have guideline and reference tools. But what an Astrologer trained in contemporary Astrology knows is that each individuals horoscope must be understood within it’s own terms, thus spouting traditional terms generally is wasteful energy.
To make sense of what I am attempting to share will will require patients on your part. When we open a road map somewhere on the map is a little box that defines the terms. And in a similar way the Astrologer must create a set of definitions for each horoscope that is unique to that person. We begin with the the rules, guidelines, and all all the background knowledge we have acquired over time. But we must soon divert our path to define our terms within the reality of the individual and the life the know.

In the olden days Astrologers were seen and treated as psychics. And today many traditional Astrologers continue to work from that perspective. For example, the client arrives and provides the birth data. Soon the Astrologer proceeds to “delineate” the chart and proclaim the persons present, past, and future. And often gifted the Astrologer correctly identifies characteristics and other details. But that approach is awful to the extreme and is only useful to the Astrologer that must place feathers in his or her cap. Occasionally I will meet an Astrologer that is gifted as a psychic, and I hope that they present their gifts in an orderly progression that allows modern Astrology to be presented as it should.

So what information should the Astrologer have either in advance or at the onset of the interview?

Let’s first consider a client that is seeking vocational guidance. The more information that the Astrologer could have in advance of the actual interview, or the onset the more the Astrologer will have to work with in order to offer valid guidance. Take for example a women whose chart may suggest a gift as a guidance counselor. Although she may have that gift, if she has three kids to care for, and is divorces with limited income, it may be quite difficult for her to step out of her current duties to pursue a Bachelor and Master’s degree in counseling. Wouldn’t it be useful for the Astrologer to have this background information before the “reading” begins? And really is “reading” kind of out of date, wouldn’t one prefer to have a consultation? I would!

So what might be useful background to have about the client? How about information about the persons current employment, responsibilities, status (divorced, single), ability to actually make a career change, and how about three or four career options the individual would be willing to consider. With the understanding that the horoscope might actually suggest other ideas completely, it would still be useful to know what the person has been thinking about. This information relates to what might be referred to as “level”.

What I mean by level is that the horoscope may suggest an interest, but the Astrologer and client must determine how that interest might best be met. For example someone that may be ideal for a career in design may not be able to pursue training as an archetect, but might be able to get a two year degree in garden design or golf course management. The key idea of design would still be the focus, but the actual reality would be employment that is within the realm of the clients real life. That’s level, a very important part of understanding the horoscope in current time. This guidance will not fit within the scope of “rulership” or other traditional guidance.

I need to back up a bit now and reconsider the idea that each birth chart must be analyzed in it’s own terms.

I do think I have demonstrated one point, that being the validity of having some information about the individual in advance of actually approaching the study of the horoscope.

Let’s consider briefly some horoscope details. For example recently I worked with a young lady completing her college degree. The horoscope analysis would suggest that she has an difficult relationship with her father and follows the path of her mother. The circumstances of her life would suggest that those deductions could have been true, but in actuality the truth is opposite. Although the circumstances were difficult, her father made every effort to broach any separation or difficulty, and the mothers actions actually created a great rift between the mother and daughter. But in her case, by asking “tell me about the relationship you have with your father” would reveal the truth, and simply by asking the question the Astrologer will be lifted to the stars in the eyes of the young lady, because conce
s about her parents have been so central in her mind. So the symbolism in this case does not fit traditional definitions, but is defined specifically to this horoscope.

I hope to come back to these ideas in the future, but for now I’d like to receive some discussion from readers. What are your experiences with Astrologers? Have you had a consultation with a traditional or contemporary Astrologer and how would you rate the experience? Do the ideas presented make sense and what direction would you like this article take?